Deck the Halls
by MissJayne
Summary: The team receive an invitation to spend Christmas together. Jibbs, Tiva, minor hints of McAbby. Lily!
1. Dec 22

_A/N: Two quick things to say. One: A number of people have been slowly requesting a new Lily fic and this is a mix of two different ideas. Two: I haven't actually finished this yet - each chapter has a different day but I am trapped in block, so every prod to finish would be appreciated. Hope you enjoy!_

Deck the Halls

Chapter 1: Dec 22

It was three days before Christmas and the Navy Yard had definitely been touched by the festive spirit. A huge Christmas tree stood in the lobby, weighed down with countless decorations hand-made by the children of NCIS agents during a craft-making day a certain Goth had organized. Sparkling fairy lights adorned every wall, tinsel seemed to be everywhere, and someone had persuaded the Director that a few sprigs of mistletoe were essential.

Or, more likely, bribed her with a combination of coffee, bourbon and Belgian chocolates.

There was a persistent rumor that the Goth scientist was planning to cover every surface with fake snow one night. She had already encouraged about half the agents to wear various Santa hats while a pair of antlers adorned her own head. Everyone seemed to have found red and green sweaters to wear to work, not to mention the soft CD of carols that played in the background.

Anthony DiNozzo was enjoying the atmosphere. For once, Christmas was something to be celebrated.

It helped that _el jefe_ looked less threatening every year. With two almost-three year old twins to deal with this year, both mischievous little toddlers, he was too run off his feet to worry about his team. Gibbs wanted Christmas to be perfect for his children, which meant he spent more time worrying about presents than what his team were up to.

The Director was too busy to notice Gibbs' lack of attention. She was trying to take a week off over the holiday season to be with her family, which meant she had to sort out everything possible and simply cross her fingers. While the agency could run itself for the few days between Christmas and the New Year, there was no knowing if she would be called back to deal with something urgent – something she was desperate to avoid.

Tony himself wasn't sure what he was doing for the holiday, only that it would involve Ziva in some way. His lover would never forgive him if he stayed at work claiming overtime – she had threatened castration this year. And anyway, this time of year was meant to be about family. Ziva was his only family, in a way.

And the rest of the team.

He did not know what McGee and Abby planned to do, only that they had been giggling over presents. Sooner or later, Tony knew they would get together and Rule Twelve would be well and truly smashed to little pieces.

As if the boss being engaged to Jenny hadn't already done that. At least Gibbs was not a hypocrite and didn't mind any more, as long as they kept it out of the office as much as possible.

Which Abby and himself were fairly sure _el jefe_ wasn't and were trying to catch him in the act.

He smiled as he looked around at the rest of the team. Every year they seemed to become closer than before, however impossible he thought it was. And as none of them had concrete plans for Christmas, perhaps this year they could spend it together, like the family they were.

* * *

Ziva David stared at her computer screen in a state of shock. Was this email for real?

She thought back over her previous thought. Did it make sense? Her Americanisms still needed some work, but dating Tony had taught her more than a few. Perhaps she should ask him?

Glancing over at his desk, she noticed he was staring at his computer screen too. On second thoughts, the email seemed more genuine. Presumably everyone on 'Team Gibbs' had received the same message.

_Greetings Gibblets!_

_I'm back in the country for a little while and seem to have found myself in a rather large house. Not on purpose, I hasten to add, but it seems a little empty. I'm pretty sure none of you have definite plans so I'm inviting you up for a short while._

_I can promise alcohol, chocolate and festivities. And I demand to see my nieces while I'm (vaguely) in town._

_Jenny knows where to find me, although I suggest you come sooner rather than later – we're due snow any day._

_Hope you haven't managed to lose any limbs since I last saw you,_

_Lily_

Ziva began to smile softly. Being around Lily was always amusing. Usually because her life was so chaotic. Still, she had a knack of keeping everyone on their toes, mainly because of her slight obsession with explosives. At least she couldn't misbehave with her son around.

Or was it sons?

The last time any of them had seen Lily, to her knowledge anyway, the redhead had been pregnant. Timing wise, she had to have had the baby by now, unless she was a strange creature who gestated her young for sixteen months.

Although Gibbs would certainly not be surprised if that was the case. He seemed to know her better than anyone, bar Jenny.

But Ziva could not understand how none of them had managed to stay in touch with the ex-CIA agent. Perhaps because she had followed through with her decision and retired from her job, disappearing without a trace and contacting no one. Except presumably Jenny because the two of them were incredibly close.

She smiled again as she mused on the possibility of meeting the new child. Boy or girl? Jenny and Gibbs had two twin girls, so another girl could have their old clothes. On the other hand, Lily already had a boy, Jasper, and might have preferred a little brother for him.

Deciding that replying and asking would only lead to Lily ignoring her, she made a mental note to ask Jenny instead. The Director had to know. And she would have told Gibbs as well…

"Are we going to this thing?" Tony asked, breaking the temporary silence.

"It would be fun," Ziva suggested.

"She sent it to Abby," McGee pointed out. "She'll drag us along if she has to."

"What _thing_?" Gibbs demanded.

Ziva winced. One of these days, McGee was going to have to teach him to use his email.

"Lily's invited us for Christmas," Tony told their boss. "She's offering alcohol; I'm sure she'll have bourbon somewhere. And we have to ask Jenny where she is."

Gibbs did not even glance at his computer. He rose from his chair and made his way up the stairs.

"Twenty bucks says they'll be having more than a conversation up there," Tony grinned.

Ziva threw a paperclip at him, however much she silently agreed.

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs decided that agreeing to have Abby in his car, supposedly to keep his baby girls entertained, had been a bad idea.

He adored the Goth, he really did. But after a little too much Caf-Pow and several hours stuck in a car between two identical miniature versions of his nemesis, she had gone slightly hyper. And Jenny was finding the whole thing amusing from her position riding shotgun.

He should have demanded she drove to the middle of nowhere.

Civilization had disappeared about an hour ago. Jenny somehow knew the directions by heart – he was starting to suspect she had been here before. Except he knew better; she would have told him. Instead, he had come to the conclusion it was a twin homing beacon.

Abby was enjoying herself in the back seat, getting the twins involved in a rousing chorus of 'We're all going on a summer holiday'. He didn't want to remind her it was December and freezing, while the sky looked as though an imminent blizzard was coming. Nor did he think it would stop the terrible twosome from getting so excited.

"Not far now," Jenny assured him.

He glanced in his rear view mirror to check DiNozzo was still in sight. Or rather the headlights were. Thinking back, it would have made more sense for Ziva to drive. But Tony had done an admirable job keeping up with him.

Finally he saw the outline of a house. Pulling up, he smiled at the squeals from the backseat. Maybe he'd let Abby ride with him on the way back.

Even covered in darkness, he could tell Lily hadn't been joking about a large house. Ignoring the enigma of how she had ended up with it in the first place, he guessed there was easily enough room for a bedroom apiece, even if he and Jenny weren't sharing.

From the look of things, there was also a disturbingly large garden. His kids weren't going outside unsupervised then.

Deciding that a bit of snow would liven the place up a bit, he climbed out of the car and set about the challenge of freeing Camilla, who had now changed her mind and wanted to stay in the car. Jenny on the other hand managed to pull Rose into her arms in seconds.

Tony's car screeched to a halt and everyone began to emerge from there as well. It took them a while to gather their belongings before they set off to the big door at the front of the house.

His team automatically allowed him to knock, even with Camilla in his arms; putting her down on the floor outside was asking for trouble. He waited a few minutes and knocked again.

If Lily wasn't going to answer the door, he was tempted to break a window instead. Just as he was about to rely an order, the wooden door creaked open and a tiny figure appeared.

Or not so tiny. Jasper had grown since they'd last seen him. The boy had a huge smile on his face and was carrying another child. A boy.

"Merry Christmas!" he greeted them.


	2. Dec 23

_A/N: Thanks for the encouragement guys! I've been working hard all day, although I did let Alexa distract me at one point... :P Well worth the laughter._

Chapter 2: Dec 23

The morning dawned with weak sunlight and crisp air. Abby made sure she was wrapped up warm before emerging from her room.

Last night, Lily had sorted out the rooms before the arguing could begin in earnest. Much to the Goth's amusement, Lily's bedroom was next to Mommy and Daddy's. She was going to bet it was going to lead to all types of trouble.

She had also managed to see Jasper's room; the boy had been eager to show them around. Gabriel, the baby, was settled in a little nursery across the hall from Lily's room, while Jasper was a few rooms away. He said it was quieter.

They had all decided to have an early night after a long day at work and the journey. Abby was fairly sure Lily didn't believe in such things as early nights, but hadn't argued and appeared to have gone to bed.

The kitchen wasn't hard to find, mainly because the redhead had put signs up. But the person inside definitely caught her off guard.

Lily was standing barefoot on the stone floor, which alone had caused Abby to wince. She was cradling Gabriel in the crook of her arm, trying to persuade him to drink his bottle. The seven month old clearly wasn't having any of it.

"Need a hand?" Abby offered.

Lily didn't even flinch; the Goth remembered the sheer number of years she had been in the CIA and decided she must have known of her arrival.

"If you wouldn't mind," Lily replied. "He doesn't like the cold."

"Dada," Gabriel announced proudly as he was handed over. Abby didn't miss the shadow that crossed the redhead's face.

"Good boy," she praised him anyway.

The kitchen fell silent as Gabriel settled down. Lily took the time to glare at the French toast she was trying to prepare.

"Is it always this cold?" Abby asked.

"Only on days of the week ending in the word 'day'," came the answer. "The heating system here relies on building fires in every room and I can't really do that with an inquisitive crawler."

"Nor with the twins," Abby added, drawing a big grin from Lily.

"It's good to have them around," she noted. "We're going to have a lot of fun."

The Goth thought back to the horror stories she had been told by Gibbs about Lily looking after the twins when they were younger, and decided it might be an idea to supervise their Aunt. She liked the girls as they were, not with broken limbs.

Lily jerked her head towards the door as she glowered at breakfast again. "Tony," she stated simply.

Abby had not heard anything, but was not surprised when Tony appeared out of nowhere a few seconds later. "Morning!" he greeted them, full of enthusiasm. "Is that breakfast?"

"If it ever cooks," Lily growled, poking the toast. "There's a plate tucked inside the oven if you want some now."

Together, Tony and Abby located the half-full plate and began to eat. Lily was once again glaring at the pan.

"What part of _cook_ do you not understand?" she demanded of it.

Abby grinned. Lily was definitely under there somewhere.

"What are we doing today?" Tony mumbled around a mouthful of food.

"There's a mall about thirty miles away," Lily answered. "I thought a trip would be interesting."

* * *

Two cars would not carry them all. Therefore, Jennifer Shepard had agreed to put up with her sister's driving as she led their little convoy.

She was enjoying the opportunity to spend time with Lily. They had managed to meet up on two separate occasions before now: a joint vacation in Florida when Lily had been six months pregnant and moaning about the heat every five minutes, and for twenty four hours when her sister had been in labor and decided to call someone.

If she was honest, Jenny didn't know if Lily had been hoping Jethro picked up that day, just so she could demand to hold his hand and not feel guilty for breaking a few bones.

Jenny's initial assumption had been that Lily would make it alone and the first she would know about her new nephew or niece (Lily having refused to admit the gender) would involve a card and a photograph. Being there in her time of need had touched her heart.

They had remained in touch through the Internet, if she counted 'staying in touch' as 'emails being replied to about a month after having being sent'. Although her sister had refused to say where she was, Jenny's best guess was that it involved a lot of moving and a lack of Internet access. Phone calls had been sparse as well.

Nevertheless, the bond between them had never really been broken. Lily still knew all her secrets and hinted at mischief and mayhem. Jenny could still read her sister like a book and was able to rein in her more insane ideas.

Even if she was still worried for her little sister.

Lily was keeping secrets again, of that she was sure. Getting completely out of the intelligence game in one swoop had always been difficult, especially for someone as talented and devoted as Lily. And yet Jenny was pretty sure her sister wasn't working.

It was the whole 'staying at home and bringing up a child' issue. With the fathers to both her sons dead, Lily was always going to struggle. She had struggled with Jasper and Jenny could see her making the same mistakes all over again. The only reason she had not insisted Lily come down and spend the holidays with herself and Jethro was that she wanted the chance of observe her sister on her own.

She twisted around to view the back seat of the car. Jasper was happily looking out the window, desperate for a sign that snow was coming. Jenny suspected he would get his wish within days. Gabriel was fast asleep in his little seat, catching up on however much rest he was depriving his mother.

Which was okay, in a way, as Lily seemed to have more energy than sense and was used to long hours.

The screech of tires and the smell of rubber announced their destination. Jenny stepped out into the cold air and couldn't help but grin. Lily had forgotten to mention that the 'local mall' was just a little on the big side.

* * *

Lily hung onto Gabriel as they stepped inside, grinning inwardly when the warm air hit her. The cold served to remind her of a few missions in Russia, missions she would rather forget when she was with her children.

Jasper followed, as obedient as ever. Sometimes she wondered how she had been so lucky to end up with such a charming son. And then she remembered just how often she had been away from him. He hadn't had a chance to pick up any of her habits.

LJ was trying to organize some sort of plan for not losing anyone in such a vast mall. This time she did smile; surely he had to know that it was inevitable _everyone_ was going to get lost in here. She herself struggled to leave through the same entrance she had arrived – it was a lot of fun trying to find her car afterwards.

"Meet back here in two hours," LJ ordered.

"Santa's grotto first," she interjected, enjoying disrupting his plans. It had been a while since she had allowed herself to let loose. Sometimes it was an absolute pain to be with her children every hour of every day. She needed to deal with adults every now and then.

LJ rolled his eyes but complied. His team would have followed her anyway. Abby seemed as excited as ever as they set off in search of the grotto; Lily made a mental note to stock up on Caf-Pow. She had enough coffee and bourbon to last a blizzard or two, but they would never survive if Abby went without her precious drink.

The queue was not as long as she had expected. Camilla and Rose attempted to run off until LJ picked them both up; Lily gave them a cheeky grin and decided she was going to have a lot of fun with her nieces. Especially as she still needed to decorate the house. There was no way she would have attempted it alone.

Her beautiful nieces clambered onto Santa's knee simultaneously; Lily hoped she and Jenny had been like them a long time ago. She smiled through the obligatory photograph, deciding to leave her copy on the mantle for a while. It would cheer both her and Jasper up.

Everyone scattered the moment they left. Jasper disappeared with Ziva, both of whom were chatting away about a new book Lily had bought for him and never got around to reading herself. She was going to have to get to it before the expected movie came out. Maybe with everyone here, she could lock herself in her room for a few hours…

It took them four hours before they had managed to locate every member of their party, however much LJ had insisted on two. It had been more amusing to her that he had been the final 'lost' person. Weighed down with shopping bags, they started the search for the cars.

Lily decided not to tell them that she had moved them all.


	3. Dec 24

Chapter 3: Dec 24

Timothy McGee was surprised at how much he was enjoying the mornings in this strange house.

The cold was definitely an issue, but he had decided it made the whole experience more festive. The temperature was manageable with fleeces and movement, something Tony had discovered the previous day after spending two hours on a couch watching a movie and not shifting around at all. Everyone had laughed at him hopping up and down in an attempt to warm up.

But he was enjoying the solitude most of all.

Due them not needing to crawl out of bed and make it to the Navy Yard every morning, everyone was taking the opportunity to sleep in. Well, he wasn't sure if it was sleeping or simply staying in a warmish room for a little while longer.

Ziva was definitely going on her morning runs – she wouldn't miss them for the world – but had been disappearing back into the room she was sharing with Tony afterwards. Gibbs had been sighted in the kitchen fixing coffee; no surprise there either. Yet the peaceful air that descended on the house was something he craved.

Especially as eleven people under one roof could result in a considerable amount of noise.

He settled himself into a huge armchair in the living room, or one of them anyway. He was sure he'd come across another in another part of the house… A hot mug of coffee next to him and pen in hand, he began to plot out an idea for his next novel.

The coffee was slowly sipped as thoughts came and went, all jotted on the paper in case he forgot something later. It took him a while, but suddenly he stopped.

Something was wrong.

He was amazed he hadn't realized it earlier. There was not a single decoration in the house; not a piece of tinsel, a card or a tree. Considering they had been invited for Christmas, it was slightly confusing.

Briefly he wondered if he should go and knock on Lily's door, but he quashed it at the thought she would aim something deadly his way while half-asleep. Even if she was awake, he didn't think she'd take kindly to someone disturbing her. And there was no way he would ask someone else to ask her. Timothy McGee was not a coward.

Although Abby would probably volunteer for the job if she realized there was a job going…

Abby. Surely, given how much she adored this season, she would have already asked about the lack of decorations.

Another thought struck him. Maybe Lily was one of those people who firmly believed in starting the celebrations on Christmas Eve and then taking everything down on the Epiphany. It was something McGee had noticed the older generation tended to stick to – although he wouldn't call Lily 'older' to her face – while the younger lot ignored.

The squeal of tires caught his attention and he wandered over to the front door, opening it cautiously. Abby bounded out of Lily's car, one gigantic tree tied to the top. The redhead appeared from the driver's seat.

"Are you going to help us carry everything in or stand there with your mouth open?" she teased.

McGee was amazed the car had moved at all. The back seemed to be completely filled with every decoration he could think of.

"Count me in," he grinned.

* * *

"Who's got the mistletoe?" Tony demanded, sticking his nose into one of the rooms.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs yelled.

Tony ducked out of the room, wishing he'd had his camera on him. It didn't look as though the boss needed any help in the form of mistletoe. He could only hope someone was keeping their eyes on Camilla and Rose.

He bounded down the stairs, satisfied that no one was hiding in a room with the plant he was looking for. He knew Lily and Abby had bought it on their trip back to the mall – Probie had been forced to carry armfuls of the precious material in from the car. And yet he couldn't place his hands on it.

His next step was to locate the Probie. After all, there was always the possibility McGeek was trying to woo Abby with the stuff. Gibbs was out of the way; there was no danger of being attacked with a baseball bat for flirting with the favorite.

Camilla and Rose were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, sharing innocent smiles he had learnt the hard way were connected with trouble.

"Mommy and Daddy are upstairs," he told them. It was definitely easier if he was not the one they decided to play with for a few hours.

The redheaded girls followed his unspoken directions without a second thought.

Grinning to himself, he ran into the living room. And promptly tripped headfirst over a rather large box in his path.

"Mind the box," Lily offered with a smirk.

He managed a groan from the floor. How did two year olds cause so much trouble?

"Tony!" Abby squealed. "Are you okay?"

He glanced up slightly to see two platform boots in front of his face. "I'm just going to catch my breath for the moment," he promised her.

She pulled him up anyway. "Why are you in so much of a hurry? Is Ziva chasing you?"

Tony shook his head. "Looking for the mistletoe. Where is my little ninja anyway?"

"Mistletoe's been hidden," Lily grinned. "I don't want you getting all excited with it."

"Ziva's in the kitchen," the Goth added. "With Jasper. So where's Gabriel?"

"With Jenny and LJ," Lily noted. "I'm hoping to end up an aunt again."

"Your plan is working," Tony informed her, before leaving the girls behind and heading for the kitchen. What would Ziva be doing with Jasper?

He smiled when he saw them. It wasn't every day his Mossad assassin turned all domestic; he was fairly confident she preferred spraying bullets to making cakes. Lingering in the doorway, he took the time to look them over.

Ziva and Jasper were making cookies. Someone had mixed the dough up in a ball and they were eagerly cutting out the shapes they wanted. They were both smiling and laughing. He watched as his lover dropped a kiss on the boy's head.

It made him long for a child of his own.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Her voice broke his train of thought and he wiped the cheesy grin off his face before she could question it.

"Very sweet," he noted, pushing off the doorframe and wandering over. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before grinning at Jasper. "Cookies."

"Mom offered to make her usual jalapeño fairy cakes," Jasper stated. "And they burn the roof of my mouth off."

Tony decided never to eat a cake offered to him by Lily. "Good plan," he proclaimed.

And then he saw the cookies themselves.

"Guns?!"

"Ziva's been teaching me how to identify them," Jasper smiled.

Tony just stared at Ziva. "He's a bit young…"

"Nonsense," she countered. "It is not like I am teaching him how to shoot…"

* * *

Abby was delighted with the finished Christmas tree. With the entire house decorated and everyone gathered around the arboreal delight, it felt a lot more like Christmas.

The fire glowed in the corner, providing much-needed warmth, while a solitary sprig of mistletoe had appeared over one of the doorways. It was the only piece of mistletoe in sight and the Goth was nursing a suspicion that Lily planned to hang it everywhere when the lights went out.

The tree was the centerpiece of the room, covered in lights, tinsel and all kinds of decorations. Lily had spent the afternoon showing everyone how to hand-make little paper delights that were now perched on branches – everyone had had a go, with the exception of Gabriel. An old but elegant angel sat on the top, looking as though it was a Shepard family heirloom. The base of the tree was surrounded by presents. Stockings hung from the mantelpiece, enough for everyone, with individual names sewn on by hand.

Abby could not remember being this excited in a long time. It felt as festive as the holiday was supposed to be. Her friends – her _family _– were all with her.

They were slowly singing carols in the semi-darkness; the whole room lit only by the gentle fire. It somehow made the place feel like home. Everyone was chipping in with song choices and _el jefe _had insisted they sang everything. The toddlers were half asleep on their parent's shoulders, Gabriel rested on Lily's hip and played with her hair, while Jasper sang solemnly.

Unlike his mother, who seemed to know the rude version of every carol and was happy to invent her own lyrics whenever necessary.

Gibbs and Jenny stood side by side, occasionally gazing at each other in a way that made Abby want to squeal. Tony was attempting to tell Ziva the upcoming lyrics as she was uncertain. And next to Abby stood McGee, who seemed to be viewing the whole thing with the same solemnity as Jasper.

The whole situation made Abby indescribably happy.

Eventually, they ran out of song ideas. And then came the inevitable argument about what to do next.

"Midnight mass," Abby found herself suggesting. "There has to be _somewhere_ around here that's open."

"But I want to start opening presents," Tony whined.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled as Camilla and Rose woke up at the sound of the magic word. "Santa's got a few gifts to drop off first."

"Sorry boss," Tony replied. "What about if the twins are put to B-E-D –"

"Which twins?" Lily interjected playfully.

Gibbs looked as though he wanted to headslap her.

"Midnight mass is a good idea," Jenny intervened. "Ziva?"

"I will babysit," the Israeli promised.

"I'll stay too," Lily added. "I have one or two things to do before tomorrow. Jasper: bed or with Aunt Jenny?"

Jasper simply smiled and moved closer to his aunt.

It took five minutes for Abby to wrap up warm and memorize Lily's directions, and it was not long before the small party was on its way.


	4. Dec 25

_A/N: Blame Alexa for the present Gibbs gives to Lily. Once she gave me the idea, I had to run with it._

Chapter 4: Dec 25

Jennifer Shepard stretched languidly as she woke up. What to do, what to do. No need to get up immediately – her children had yet to jump up and down on the bed in an attempt to wake her up. And the room was too cold to consider getting up any time soon.

She was enjoying her lie-ins this week. No agency to run meant no early mornings, no alarms, no phone calls in the middle of the night when a certain agent pissed off another agency. In theory, she could stay in bed all day.

As if reading her thoughts, a warm body shifted next to her. "Merry Christmas," he whispered.

She smiled in the darkness. "And a very merry Christmas to you too," she replied.

"No kids yet?" he checked, sitting up slightly and looking all around as though they were about to pop up.

Which they seemed to do on a regular basis, always when they were about to start something as well. Gibbs had made noises about putting locks on doors but Jenny knew he would never follow through – he would never forgive himself if their children needed something urgently and he turned them away.

"Here's hoping Lily's keeping them occupied," she wished.

He groaned, having a few suspicions of his own of what she would be doing with them. "We should probably track them down…" But he didn't sound convinced.

"She won't kill them," Jenny promised. "You know what she's like – she'll have been up for hours and they won't be bothering her. We can have a little time to ourselves…"

A few hours later, after some _quality _time together, more sleep and individual showers, they emerged and headed downstairs. Abby's squeals could be heard from the top of the stairs.

"No presents," Lily repeated, Jenny suspected for the umpteenth time that morning. "Everyone has to be up and dressed before then."

"I think she means you have to put on more than your boxers, my little hairy butt," came Ziva's voice.

Jenny grinned as Jethro ran a hand across his face.

"DiNozzo!" he bellowed. "Put some clothes on!"

They rounded the doorway to find everyone minus McGee. The group had arranged themselves on the floor, Gabriel in Abby's lap. From a glance, Jenny suspected the presents had all been shaken and prodded, but not yet opened.

Tony had turned an interesting shade of red and rapidly pushed past them, hopefully on the search for clothes. Abby seemed delighted to see more faces, waving Gabriel's hand in their direction. Her nephew's face lit up and he gurgled something incomprehensible.

"Sit down," Lily ordered. "The floor's comfortable, although I've slept on enough concrete floors that I consider just about anything else to be comfortable."

"Where's McGee?" Gibbs asked as they sunk to the floor. Jenny decided it was more comfy than Lily let on.

"We have not seen him yet," Ziva offered.

"Camilla and Rose have been up for hours," Abby added as the twins launched themselves at their parents. "I've been up since 4 and they were awake then."

Jenny made a mental note to make sure her children had a nap at some point. Lily would have let them stay awake and had possibly given them sugar already.

Tony wandered back in, fully covered this time. "If the Probie isn't up in five minutes, I say we open everything anyway."

* * *

Paper was strewn everywhere and they were only halfway through everything. By the time McGee had appeared, Lily had ordered everyone into the kitchen and made them help her prepare lunch.

These days, away from the CIA, she was finding herself hungry on a regular basis. She supposed she had finally broken the habit of eating whatever she could within the two seconds she had had for mealtimes. Nowadays, she couldn't survive on pure coffee. And having Jasper living with her meant she had to stick to fairly normal mealtimes.

It had definitely been a culture shock, going from running around the world causing havoc for the CIA to raising two children full-time. She liked to think she was getting the hang of it but she couldn't let go of some old habits.

Including sleeping for only a handful of hours.

She found herself jogging in the early hours of the morning, throwing herself into cooking to keep her occupied and keeping Gabriel with her just about every hour of the day.

Part of her longed to return to her old job. Another part, the stronger part, kept reminding herself of just how much of Jasper's life she had missed and her desire to see at least one of her sons grow up properly. She had been offered a regular 9-5 job behind a desk at the agency, but turned it down – desk work always frustrated her. For the moment, she was sticking to her retirement plan.

Lunch had been enjoyable, especially as she had been able to assign LJ all the jobs she knew he hated. Abby had been so full of energy that Lily had quietly asked her to keep the children out of the kitchen, while she also attempted to keep Jenny from burning the whole place down.

The house still standing, everyone had tucked into an enormous meal. She had somehow ended up sitting next to one of her nieces – LJ's fault – so she found herself helping to mash food up and make sure it ended up in a mouth rather than on her. Gabriel and Jasper had been easier; the former had settled for a bottle of milk while the latter was capable of feeding himself.

And now they were back in the living room, in front of the fire, with piles of presents everywhere. Camilla and Rose were running around in delight, still unsure why they were being given so many gifts at the same time but clearly delighted with it. Lily wondered how much more sugar she could slip them before her sister caught her.

A present was handed to her and she checked the label.

"LJ! I'm surprised you bothered," she grinned.

He shot her a glare, which reminded her that she had gone out of her way to get him a good present this year – a 'good' present meaning something Jenny would agree with. Cufflinks. And an FBI hoodie.

She unwrapped the gift with her usual trepidation; she couldn't quit shake the urge that every wrapped thing was a bomb in disguise. A plain box greeted her.

"Open the lid," LJ suggested lazily.

Lily gave him a look which promised a slow death if it was something dangerous. The lid was slowly shifted upwards and she peeked inside, before pulling the whole thing off and glaring at her adversary.

"It's empty," she growled.

He leant across, checked the box for himself, and shrugged his shoulders. "It'll turn up," he countered.

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was keeping a close eye on his daughters.

He loved seeing the happiness on their faces as they opened each present. They needed a little steering away from the fire in the corner but everyone was helping out with that. And they seemed to enjoy prodding the tree so hard he was afraid it would fall on them.

But that wasn't entirely why he was watching them carefully for the moment. Lily's present was not in its box, which meant it could be anywhere. The last thing he wanted was for his children to find it before their aunt did.

Jenny quietly pulled him under the nearest bundle of mistletoe – Lily had literally stuck it everywhere, including his shower, the main downstairs bathroom and halfway up the stairs. After a quick glance to check someone had their eye on two redheaded menaces, he turned his attention to their mother.

A scrunched-up piece of wrapping paper hit him in the head and he broke their kiss, turning to glare at Lily. "You guys were scaring everyone," she grinned. "Even I know oxygen is needed at some point."

"Scram," Jenny ordered.

For once, Lily obeyed an order, heading in the general direction of the kitchen. Ignoring the hoots from DiNozzo which Gibbs knew Ziva would cut off in a moment, he kissed Jenny again.

It was a scream that interrupted them the second time.

A scream from the kitchen.

His first thought was that Lily was messing them about again. But then he remembered her missing present and decided it was entirely possible she had found it. Or possibly it had found her.

Everyone charged into the kitchen, guns drawn, ready for any intruder. Gibbs hadn't bothered reaching for his gun; he knew exactly what to expect.

Lily stood on top of the kitchen table, pale as a ghost. She was slowly backing towards the far side of the table. One hand shakily pointed to a spot in the corner.

Gibbs bent down and picked up the snake, lifting it up so the redhead could see it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jenny take a few steps back.

"_That's_ where your Christmas present got to," he informed her, as innocently as he could manage.

Lily jumped off the table and disappeared out the back door at top speed. Still grinning, Gibbs began to look for a place to put Lily's new pet.

"Guess I forgot she's scared of snakes," he smirked.

* * *

It was the night of Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring.

Except for one person, who closed the front door quietly behind them as they left.


	5. Dec 26

Chapter 5: Dec 26

Jennifer Shepard glanced up as another person wandered through the kitchen. Yet again, it wasn't her sister.

She wasn't concerned, not really. Okay, Lily always took Christmas badly but she had seemed at ease the day before. She had perhaps drunk a little more alcohol than was necessary; then again, Jethro had given her a snake for Christmas.

He had been given a good ticking off the moment they were alone. Jethro hadn't stopped grinning the whole time and kept his defense to 'she can sell it if she doesn't want it'. Which Jenny had been forced to agree with.

Nevertheless, Lily hated this time of the year and tended to go slightly crazy. Her bedroom door had been locked and no amount of gentle knocking had roused her. Jenny suspected her sister had either drank herself into a stupor and was currently sleeping it off or just needed time alone. Whichever it was, she had decided not to worry for the moment.

Even if she worried anyway. It was her natural reaction. Lily had a habit of getting into piles of trouble without any help and usually deliberately. Someone needed to keep an eye on her.

She shook her head, deciding to stop worrying about her sister and focus on more festive activities. Glancing across at Lily's pet snake in a glass container at the side, she shuddered. Horrible things, snakes. Unfortunately Jasper was becoming a little attached to the reptile.

"Mommy," came a familiar chorus.

She whirled around and smiled at her little devils. "Lunch isn't finished yet," she told them.

They smiled, as innocently as possible.

"What have you done this time?" she asked, determined to find out before someone yelled, screamed or potentially died.

A yell from McGee made that hope an impossibility.

"Spiders in the attic," Rose informed her mother solemnly.

"Big spiders," Camilla added.

"And where did you put one of these spiders?" Jenny checked.

"In a shoe," Rose answered.

"With laces," Camilla grinned.

Jenny rubbed her brow and wondered how exactly to explain to two almost-three-year-olds that they were in big trouble.

"Where Auntie Lily?" Rose questioned.

"We no find her," Camilla noted.

"She's… asleep." Jenny picked the easiest option. "So no waking her up, okay?"

"Want sweets," Camilla demanded.

"Auntie Lily has sweets," Rose insisted.

Jenny decided to hunt down and confiscate said sweets as soon as possible. Too much sugar was sending her little delinquents out of control.

Not that they were normally this bad, but the mere presence of Lily seemed to be making them worse. She was hoping the whole thing was a phase and they would turn into miniature versions of Jasper before long. It was just her luck that Lily ended up with the well-mannered one and she had to deal with two trouble-makers.

"Why don't we go and find Daddy," she offered. Jethro practically had eyes in the back of his head and could keep them out of trouble better than she could while she prepared lunch. "Maybe, if it snows, we can build a snowman."

"Auntie Lily wants snow," Camilla recalled.

"She wants a snow fight," Rose smiled.

As she ushered them out of the room in search of her fiancé, Jenny made a mental note to have a word with her sister the moment she reappeared.

* * *

Ziva David was freezing.

She had been to cold countries before now, but usually she had something specific to keep her mind occupied. A target to observe, or an informant to locate, or a mission to be run. Relaxing was still difficult for her and she could not take her mind away from the freezing surroundings.

It was always worse when the temperature was below freezing and yet there was no snow. Snow made things better – it carpeted the world in a beautiful blanket and made her forget about the cold. She was not used to such a phenomena, although snow occasionally covered Tel Aviv in the winter.

It did not help that the house had little heating. Lily lit the fires in the mornings but they were not enough to warm the entire house. Now if the children were not present…

She smiled softly. While she was happy to babysit Camilla and Rose every now and again, she was enjoying having them close all day long. It made her less likely to be a target of their mischief, for sure. But it also meant she could see their smiling faces, their innocence and the warmth they sparked in her heart.

Not to mention Jasper and a new baby. Gabriel never seemed to settle in his mother's arms but was delighted to be with anyone else. Jasper was just plain _cute _and polite.

She glanced across at her partner of this exploration of the land. Tony seemed content to walk arm in arm across the frozen wilderness and wish for snow. Completely different from his usual excited and talkative self.

"Do you think it's odd that it's not snowing?"

She should have known he could not keep his cake-hole shut for long.

Or was it trap-hole?

"I mean," he continued, oblivious to her struggle with yet another idiom, "Ever since Kate came to join us, we've always had a white Christmas. And now we're not in DC but somewhere further north, where it's expected to snow, and yet not a drop of the white stuff has fallen."

"And I am supposed to conjure snow _how_?" she asked.

He turned and grinned at her. "It's pie-hole, _Zee-vah_."

She stared at him. How could he read her mind?

"Lily promised snow," Tony pouted. "It had better snow before we go home."

"It is cold enough," she noted, snuggling closer to steal some of his warmth.

"Maybe it's too cold to snow," he mused. She punched his arm. "What?" he protested.

"Then why does it snow at the North Pole?" she demanded. "It is never too cold to snow."

"Perhaps the snow clouds freeze into a big ball of ice," he wondered.

She snorted. "Tell that to McGee. He could use a laugh."

Without speaking, they turned around and started heading back to the house. Ziva realized they had travelled further than she thought but did not really care.

"We should start planning," Tony murmured.

She instantly became suspicious; Tony plans never ended well. "What?"

"To get the Goth and the Geek together. Abby's as blind as a bat and the Probie doesn't have the courage to say anything."

"And how would we persuade them to talk?" she inquired.

"Lock them in the lab?" Tony suggested.

The first flake of white matter fell from the sky and the two agents began to yell with joy.

* * *

Abby Scuito grabbed Gabriel before he could put the remote in his mouth. Somehow she thought baby drool would not help the electronics, which would lead to mayhem.

Her silver-haired fox wouldn't mind if the television didn't work for a few days. Jenny probably wouldn't care much either. But Tony would panic at the thought of not being able to watch his favorite Christmas movies over and over again, and she was not going to have that.

Gabriel definitely found it amusing to put things in his mouth; Abby recalled the twins going through the same phase. As long as he was having fun, the Goth didn't mind. It just meant she had to watch him like a hawk.

Something Gibbs was good at.

She smiled, having offered to babysit everyone so that Mommy and Daddy could have some alone time. Lily was making vague noises about wanting more nieces and nephews to corrupt, although Abby had yet to see her today. She wasn't worried – if Jenny wasn't worried, there was no reason for her to be. The redhead was probably sleeping off a hangover in her room.

Jasper wandered in, carrying a plate stacked high with sandwiches.

"Turkey and stuffing," he announced. "Aunt Jenny made a batch and I thought you might want some."

She grinned at him. Jasper seemed to grow more polite by the year. "Thanks," she replied, pulling him into a hug while trying not to knock the precious food over.

"Gabriel's making a run for it," he warned her and they pulled apart, Abby charging after the escaping child. She returned seconds later to her sound of Jasper giggling.

"He does that a lot?" she guessed.

"Mom says he's going to be a marathon runner, an escape artist or a CIA agent," he grinned. "She's hoping for the escape artist because she thinks he'll make her his manager. Give her something constructive to do."

"I think she's doing a good job where she is," Abby argued.

"Mom needs excitement in her life," Jasper shrugged. "She'll either grow out of it, go crazy or ask for her job back. I think she's slowly growing out of it."

"At least she isn't building explosives," Abby smiled.

Jasper winced. "Please don't go in the attic," he asked, before tucking into his own sandwich.


	6. Dec 27

Chapter 6: Dec 27

Tony DiNozzo groaned as he realized he would have to make his own breakfast again. Lily still hadn't come out of her room and cooked something delicious and decidedly unhealthy.

Nevertheless, she had left the cupboards full of food. Locating various cooking implements was more difficult, especially as she didn't seem to have an order. Last night, Jasper had been tasked with finding all the necessary pots and pans.

The young lad had done a good job. He had also asked what they were going to do if Lily stayed in her room for much longer.

Tony had no idea. Short of kicking the door down, there wasn't much anyone could do. Ziva had suggested picking the lock, only to be reminded that Lily valued her privacy and continued to react in the same way she did when she was an agent – _something_ was going to be aimed at whoever disturbed her, from a knife to a gun.

He hoped those were the only weapons she kept hidden. And whenever they decided to break into her room, she was fast asleep or in a drunken stupor.

Actually the stupor was likely to be the worst option. He could still recall the drunken stupor the redhead had ended up with in Russia. A day and a half for her to sober up; a day and a half of sarcastic comments and a fiery redheaded temper. Only Jenny had been able to handle her sister then and he suspected it would be the same now.

Unless Lily's plan was to avoid her children while in said drunken stupor so she didn't scar them for life…

He groaned, somehow managing to find a plate in a cupboard. It didn't really matter _what _Lily was up to; it was more that no one had seen her and they needed to check she hadn't dropped dead and was currently decomposing behind a locked door. Tony suspected the smell would be noticeable before long if that was the case.

The smell of bacon began to fill the room, masking the piles of washing up no one could be bothered to do. Sighing, he moved to the back door and propped it open. There was no chance of flies when the temperature was this low and he could only hope the fresh air would do something.

McGee stumbled into the room, looking as though he had literally rolled out of bed. Blinking furiously, the younger man began to search through the cupboards.

"Whatdayaneed?" Tony grunted.

The Probie turned and stared at him. "Huh?"

"What do you need?" Tony tried again.

"Abby sent me to get a bottle for Gabriel."

Tony rolled his eyes. McGoo was whipped. "Leave the kid outside Lily's door. It'll get her up."

"Abby got _me _up," the Probie muttered. "Gabriel keeps repeating 'dada' every five seconds and somehow I think we want to keep on Lily's good side."

"She's got to be used to it." Tony flipped the bacon over.

"Yeah, well Abby heard her a few nights ago trying to get him to say 'mama', so I don't think she's all too pleased at her son asking for his dead father." McGee finally managed to produce a warm bottle.

"You need to check it," Tony reminded him, searching for his plate again.

"You need to do the dishes," McGee retorted, looking a lot more awake.

The Probie disappeared from the room and Tony stared at the washing. Nope, someone else could do it.

* * *

Timothy McGee was not happy to find himself up to his elbows in soap suds.

It wasn't as though he didn't have options. He could either help Ziva with the washing up or she promised she would 'accidently' drop a knife into him. He preferred the choice that didn't involve bodily harm.

However much he wished she would drag Tony from the couch in the living room and make him wash up as well. Surely she had some good threats and/or bribes up her sleeve for dealing with the overgrown Peter Pan.

He had to admit though that the work needed doing and he was happy to help out, although he wished he was the one drying up. Ziva had shoved his hands in the sink after arguing that her hands reacted badly with the soap and she did not plan to itch for a week.

The rubber gloves on his hands were supposed to protect him from the hot water, and he wondered how exactly the suds were supposed to hit her hands through the protective layer. Not that he'd ever ask her – Mossad assassin and all. Between her and Abby, he knew they could kill him painfully and not leave a trace.

He shuddered, aware he could blame it on the back door being open again if necessary.

It was strange how quickly everything had fallen to pieces without Lily around. She had been cooking, cleaning and tidying, shrugging off their help and pointing out she did most of it while they were asleep. McGee sincerely hoped the work she was doing would eventually lead to a good night's sleep; insomnia was horrible.

Yet somehow he doubted she had slept much since their arrival. She was tired, certainly, but she wasn't exhausted and hadn't fallen asleep in front of the TV.

He wondered if her absence was caused by a sleeping pill or two.

The Director wandered into the kitchen and grinned at the sight of two of her agents hard at work. "Lil swore there's a dishwasher around her somewhere," she admitted. "I haven't found it though."

"I have located the dishwasher," Ziva replied. "But not the tablets to go inside."

"Can we just run it without tablets?" McGee suggested. "Or ask Jasper to find them?"

"I asked him," Ziva noted. "He said he thought they may have run out."

"The mall will probably be open," McGee suggested. "We can go for a drive."

The Director began to laugh. "What is it with men and washing up?" she mused.

"I agree with Tim," Ziva stated. "There are eleven of us and we have too much to do. We should buy some tablets and leave the dishwasher to work for us."

The Director nodded. "I'll drive."

There was a mad scramble for coats, hats, scarves – anything that would protect them from the minor blizzard outside. Eventually, the trio poured out of the house into the freezing conditions.

"We'll take my car," the Director decided. "It's behind Lil's."

But it wasn't. After a brief few minutes of hunting through the snow, it became apparent one car was missing. They trudged back into the house, disappointed.

"Where would your car go?" Ziva questioned. "Everyone is here, yes?"

A quick headcount in the living room gave nine. McGee remembered Gabriel was having a nap and rapidly realized who was missing.

"Jethro!" It seemed the Director had reacted first. "I need you to break Lil's door down now."

Gibbs looked up and rolled his eyes.

"My car's missing," she continued.

Nothing more was said. The party fought their way up the stairs until they came to Lily's door. McGee hoped fervently that he was wrong, that she was indeed behind the door.

One hard kick later, his worst fears were confirmed.

Lily was missing.

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs had yet to decide whether to call the police or not.

On one hand, this was Lily. She'd probably decided to go to the sales without them, left ridiculously early in the morning and decided not to return. Or had got caught somewhere in the blizzard and chosen to wait it out somewhere safe. After all, she'd never call to confirm she was stuck somewhere and it was all her fault.

And anyway, it wasn't as though the police would find it easy to drive through all the snow and possible ice to hear a report only for the redhead to turn up like a bad penny five minutes later.

Yet Lily _should _have called, if only to reassure Jasper. If she hadn't, it meant she couldn't call. Was she in a snowdrift somewhere? Had the car skidded on ice and gone into a tree? Had she run out of gas in the middle of nowhere?

Or was she in the next town over with a guy? He'd kill her if she was worrying Jenny over nothing.

He slipped an arm around his fiancée, trying to reassure her. Jenny would know if something was seriously wrong; she and Lily were joined in more ways than one. Even though Jenny had to know Lily was still alive and breathing somewhere, she was still going to agonize.

Someone pounded on the front door. Everyone jumped out of their seats.

"I'll get it," Jasper announced, having clearly designated himself the man of the house and possibly the 'adult' in charge in his mother's absence.

They all followed him regardless. The door was opened to reveal a state trooper.

And a very familiar redhead. With a broken wing mirror in her hand.

"Charlotte Brien," the trooper identified herself as. "We found Director Shepard a little worse for wear."

Gibbs didn't have to look behind to know Jenny had quickly slipped behind the door. No use in confusing matters further.

"Is she okay?" he questioned, glancing over Lily and not seeing any obvious injuries.

"Beyond being blind drunk?" Brien grinned. "She's fine. Might want to keep her away from the vodka though."

Gibbs nodded his thanks and practically dragged Lily into the house.

"Don't start," she slurred in his general direction the moment the door was closed. "I'm the Director; doesn't mean I can't go out and have a _little_ –" she indicated with her fingers, the effort only spoiled by her inability to stand upright "– bit to drink on my own. Don't need babysitting."

"Lily," he began.

"Jenny," she insisted. "Lily's somewhere." She waved her hand vaguely and ended up whacking Tony.

Gibbs rolled his eyes, while Jenny took on her sister's weight. "She's done this before," Jenny noted. "Just not for a very long time."

"Dump her on the couch," he suggested, not in the mood to lug his nemesis up the stairs and into her bed, especially when she would undoubtedly complain about the door being off its hinges.

Jenny seemed to agree, carefully lying Lily down on the couch and ignoring whatever she mumbled.

"Now what?" Tony inquired.


	7. Dec 28

_A/N: Erm, I'm on a forensic science course and we've been doing forensic toxicology lately... We may have had a lecture or four on alcohol, hence Abby's knowledge._

Chapter 7: Dec 28

Jennifer Shepard tucked the blanket around her sister more securely. Not that it was likely to make much of a difference – Lily continued to slumber on.

It was odd to see her like this, completely dead to the world and not a line on her face. Lily looked like a small child again, which was ironic considering how fast she had grown up, even if she hadn't made it all the way.

She had curled in on herself, completely comfortable on the couch. Which was not entirely a surprise, given the number of times Jenny had found her sister asleep in her bathroom, somehow fitting in the tub. It was more disconcerting when Jethro found her first, both confident they hadn't heard her arrival.

One of these days, she was going to make Lily wear bells on each hand and foot. Jenny preferred a little notice of her favorite unexpected arrival. Even though she somehow just knew when Lily was lurking.

She rubbed Lily's brow, wondering exactly when they went their slightly separate ways. When they were younger, they were identical in every way. Now they had different quirks yet were still the same person essentially.

Despite Lily's habit of toying with LJ at every possible opportunity.

Perhaps that was what this little drinking session had been about. Jenny knew she had lived a more charmed life than Lily – she was engaged, while Lily had two dead husbands behind her. Jenny had a successful career; Lily's had blown up in her face and instead of standing her ground, she had chosen to cave.

As though she was aware of her twin's thoughts, Lily stirred slightly. It took a single stroke of her head to settle her down again.

Jenny looked over at the other side of the room where her own twin daughters were playing. She could only hope they would be as close as she and Lily were. So far, they were doing a good job of it – too good for Jenny's liking. She couldn't yell at them when she knew it had been a joint idea, when she knew each girl would protect the other. She had grown up that way and knew she simply wouldn't get through to them.

However much Jethro tried, it was a lost cause. Lily perhaps had a chance because they looked up to her.

The bond between her children and their aunt was unexpected and unexplainable. They may have spent some time together before Lily had… left, but they hadn't been that old and Lily had been supervised once it had become clear how much fun she derived in playing with them.

Nothing too dangerous, but certainly idiotic. She vaguely remembered coming home from work one day to find flour everywhere after Lily had attempted to teach her nieces how to have a flour fight.

Lily stirred slightly again and this time Camilla and Rose came over. Jenny opened her mouth to tell them to leave her alone and promptly closed it. Lily needed waking up. And it wasn't as though she could yell at the twins.

* * *

Abby Scuito handed another glass of water to the hungover redhead. Lily's only reply was a glare.

It wasn't the redhead's fault really, not the hangover. She didn't deserve to be in so much pain. The Goth wished she could hug Lily until she felt better, but wasn't entirely sure what her reaction would be.

"I think I'm gonna throw up," Lily announced unceremoniously.

"No you're not," Jenny reassured her, reaching for the nearest waste basket anyway.

"So the last three times don't count or something?" Lily whined.

Abby rubbed her back. She couldn't ever remember being _this _hungover… okay, maybe there had been a few times in college. But Lily wasn't in college. And she hadn't told them where she'd been or what she'd been doing.

"The world needs a hangover cure," Lily whimpered. "Or some kind of way to stop a hangover before it starts."

"Did you know," Abby started, cheering up. This was something she could talk about! "That the rate of absorption is affected by the alcoholic strength of the beverage and the rate of gastric emptying?"

"I'm seriously gonna throw up again," Lily moaned quietly.

"Not that kind of gastric emptying! It's to do with the volume of your stomach, whether you have any food in there or not, and whether you've consumed any other drugs. Of course, exercise can also play a role in this."

Lily groaned.

"If you've exercised beforehand, the alcohol affects you less than if you haven't been," Abby smiled. "Were you exercising before?"

"I was driving," Lily snapped. "At least I think I was. Does that count?"

"Not really," Abby concluded. "Hmm. If a man and a woman consume the same amount of alcohol, the woman would have a higher blood alcohol concentration due to her having a larger total body water compartment to distribute the ethanol into."

"Abby," Lily managed. "I will buy you a Caf-Pow machine if you pipe down for a while. My head wants to explode."

The Goth nodded. "Sorry. Just trying to make you feel better."

Lily leant over and gave her hand a squeeze in thanks. Silence fell upon the room.

A large crash from the kitchen interrupted them five minutes later. Followed by another crash. Followed by another…

"Will someone inform LJ that the moment I don't feel as though I'm going to die, I'm coming after him," Lily warned.

Gibbs stuck his head around the door. "I'm making lunch," he informed her. "The world doesn't stop because you have a hangover."

"It should," she shot back, sticking out her tongue before clutching the waste basket closer to her. Gibbs gave her a grin before heading back to the kitchen to make more noise.

"Maybe some fresh air would help," Abby suggested.

"Just tell me Jasper's not about to walk in," Lily stated. "I can live through this if he stays away."

"Then you shouldn't have drank so much," Jenny reminded her softly.

"I left my children in a house with six other responsible adults," Lily pointed out. "Please tell me at which stage I became an irresponsible mother."

"Then how exactly where you planning to get rid of the hangover before you saw them again?" Jenny shook her head in dismay.

"I was going to sleep in the car," Lily mumbled. "But I couldn't find it. Found a state trooper though. She was nice."

"Why were you drinking?" Abby questioned gently. But Lily had fallen asleep.

* * *

Jasper Thompson was used to his mother's antics. She was normally very good at hiding them from him, but sometimes she slipped up. It made him happy though; he knew she was only human and everyone made mistakes sometimes.

It meant he was allowed to make mistakes as well, as long as he learned from them. And sitting on his mother's lap in the living room while she was not feeling well was nice, especially after her absence for the last few days.

When he was younger, he was used to her not being there. But for the last year or so, she'd been with him a lot more. He enjoyed it and so did she, even when she was struggling with Gabriel and hiding it from him. It just meant he had to be there for her more, something he was delighted to do.

They'd always had a close bond. She adored him, he knew that. And he would do anything to make her proud.

Not that she said he needed to do much anyway – finish college, get a good job, not get arrested. He was fairly sure he could manage all of that with his eyes closed, but he was going to do better. For her.

She seemed half asleep but he knew better. And judging by Uncle Jethro's glares, the older man did too. Not that Jasper understood why anyone could get mad at his mother.

He prodded her gently in the ribs and she groaned, the noise she made when she didn't want to get up. "Jasper," she whispered.

"Are you feeling better?" he inquired.

"I don't think I'm going to die anymore," she stated, waking up a bit more and cuddling him. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes," he replied. "Where were you? Were you on a mission?"

She shook her head. "At the rate we're all going through the alcohol, I thought it might be an idea to get hold of some more."

"You went out in the snow to buy a disgusting drink?" he checked. She'd let him sip it once and he'd hated it.

"It wasn't snowing when I left," she pointed out.

Jasper didn't need to look to know everyone was watching them. "So why did it take you so long?"

"I know a guy with the best bourbon," she smiled slowly. "But he's across state lines and it's a two day round trip. I knew you and Gabriel would be safe here, so I headed off into the sunset."

"Did you get the alcohol?"

"Yes," she answered. "There's one slight problem."

He looked at her, trying to figure it out. "It's in the car and the car isn't here."

"It's in the car and I'm not sure where I left it," she corrected gently. "I was in the next town, I remember wanting just a little drink and a dance. And I think one drink turned into about ten and my mind's pretty much blank."

"You lost the car except for the wing mirror," he summed up. "And a state trooper brought you home."

She considered the overview. "Sounds about right."

"How much alcohol is in this car?" Uncle Jethro decided to butt in.

"I filled the trunk and the back seat," Mom recalled. "Put a blanket over it to hide it a little."

"We need to find it," Tony declared. "We've still got one car. Which town?"

"Next one over," Mom repeated.

"Do we have plans for tomorrow?" Ziva asked. "Because we could go then."

Mom rested her head on the back of the couch; Jasper decided she was getting tired. "Do whatever you like," she shrugged.


	8. Dec 29

_A/N: The story Lily tells Tony is true. Except it happened to my mother. And it was the entrance of a car park rather than a narrow street. And she doesn't have a twin sister to take the blame..._

Chapter 8: Dec 29

Timothy McGee decided he had drawn the short straw. While everyone else had piled into the other NCIS sedan and Lily's car to retrieve the missing one and the alcohol, he had been left behind to babysit.

Truth be told, he wasn't in the mood to traipse all over a strange town to search for a missing car. It was cold outside, even though the snow made everything look beautiful. The last time he had taken a walk around the house, his ears and nose had turned bright red.

The only problem was that he had been left with four children to look after. He had never considered himself much of a babysitter, despite the age difference between him and Sarah, and being left alone with all of them made him worry slightly.

Now there was something he was good at. Worrying.

He was afraid something would happen to one of the children in his care. He was worried something would happen to _him _while he was supposed to be looking after the children. He was concerned that one of them – including him – would accidently burn the house down or blow it up, leaving them with nowhere to stay for the rest of the holiday.

He knew he would have felt more comfortable if someone else had stayed with him, remained behind to make sure everything worked. But he was also aware that there was an anxiety to locate the car and the alcohol. The more people searching, the better.

And anyway, it wasn't likely that anything would happen on his watch.

Glancing around at the children, he decided there was a distinct possibility.

Jasper was easily the most well-behaved one, in spite of him playing with the snake Gibbs had given to Lily for Christmas. He was happy enough to sit in a corner and allow the snake, currently without a name, to slither over his arms and around his neck. McGee had a funny feeling the pet would be adopted by Jasper, who would use his puppy-dog eyes to persuade his mother to allow him to keep it.

Gabriel, although still young, clearly had a good pair of lungs. He simply wanted to cry and scream no matter what McGee found himself doing. The boy didn't want food or a diaper changed or to be rocked or to be held still… He just wanted to cry at the top of his little voice. McGee had no clue how Lily was handling him.

And then he had the twins. The terrible twosome.

Camilla and Rose were trouble with a capital T. He couldn't tell them apart and they played on that. One girl would distract him while the other would disappear, and when he went to locate one, the other would vanish as well. They wanted to play in the snow without their coats, something he couldn't allow them to do. They wanted to run around and shout, which only made Gabriel cry harder. They wanted to play with the snake, but Jasper had some control over them and told them to stay away.

A scream came from the kitchen and he rose from the couch, knowing it was a twin and guessing it was nothing. By the time he had confirmed his suspicions and returned to the living room, he only had Jasper left.

"I don't know where they went," Jasper answered the unspoken question. "But I can look after Gabriel while you search, if you'd like."

The boy put the snake back in its container and reached for his half-brother. McGee smiled to himself. If Jasper wasn't here, he had no idea what he would do.

* * *

Tony DiNozzo was enjoying the walk. He couldn't really call it anything else – searching for the missing car had gone out of his mind.

Everyone had paired up on arrival in what Lily still termed 'the next town over'; he suspected she didn't even know the name. Gibbs had immediately attached himself, limpet-style, to Jenny's arm. Tony had been tempted to grab Ziva, before recalling his Mossad hunting dog would pound every pavement at top speed and wear him out. On the other hand, Lily was still taking things slowly, blaming a pounding in her head.

The redhead it was.

And if leaving Ziva and Abby together lead to anything…

He smirked, glancing over at Lily who seemed oblivious. Vaguely, he wondered if she would be interested in his thoughts. Probably.

"What's your view on girl-on-girl action?" he asked.

She turned around and grinned. "Please tell me you recall Abby's lab."

He looked at her blankly.

"Hello! I kissed ex-future ex-wife number four in there," she pointed out. "I have absolutely no problem with it."

Pieces of his mind slotted into place and he remembered what she was talking about. And how amusing the whole situation had been. "Sooo," he drawled. "You kissed any females lately?"

"Of course," she teased. "Not that it's any of your business. Why the original question?"

It took him a moment to think back. "Ziva and Abby."

"Nope." She shook her head. "I don't see a spark between them."

"You can't indulge my fantasies for a few minutes?" he pouted.

She carried on walking, grinning to herself. Tony privately thought she looked the happiest she had in days. _This_ was the Lily he knew.

"I don't understand this male obsession with two females," she shrugged. "It's highly amusing but odd."

"It's not odd," he protested. "It's hot."

"Then again, I also don't understand other male obsessions, including but not limited to cars, sports and beer."

"I thought you liked cars." He tried to think back to any of her previous statements on them.

"I like anything I can break the traffic laws in," she pointed out. "Not limited to cars. Jenny and I each half-owned a bike once. Long time ago. We used to take it in turns to ride to high school. It was a little obvious which one was driving at the time."

He smiled, enjoying the glimpse of a younger Director Shepard.

"Ever driven a tank?" Her voice cut clean across his musings.

"Can't say I have," he replied, curious.

"Drove one down the I-95 once," she smirked. "My boss almost killed me. Definitely worth it."

He linked his arm with hers and they continued down the block. "Do you have any idea where you left the car?" he checked for the tenth time since their arrival.

"I'm not even sure where the bar is," she countered.

"Why on earth did you walk away from the car with a wing mirror?" he queried, finding it more amusing than he should have.

She winced.

"Come on," he prodded. "There's a story behind this."

She sighed. "When Jenny and I first got our licenses, we used to borrow our father's car. With permission, I might add. Anyway, one day we came to this narrow road with two concrete posts either side of it."

"Who was driving?" He needed to be sure.

"Jenny," Lily began to smile. "She figured she could make it through, but instead sheared both wing mirrors off."

"Ouch." Even so, Tony couldn't help the grin.

"I took them back to our father that night and said it was me before Jenny could land herself in any trouble."

"So there's a possibility you drove down a narrow road and lost a wing mirror before you parked," Tony mused.

Lily giggled.

"Spill," he demanded.

"We were banned from the car for six months. And on our next journey, Jenny driving again, we went down the same road and sheared off both wing mirrors."

Tony laughed. Hard. Until there were tears falling down his cheeks.

It took five minutes for them to recover their senses. One glance at each other and they were off again.

* * *

Ziva David shivered in the cold. Beside her, Abby was talking a mile a minute.

She did not mind the Goth; she was aware it made Abby Abby and she was probably talking so fast to take her mind away from the cold. But it did not mean she had to listen to a word; she had tuned it out long ago.

They were searching for a car and she was determined to be the one who found it.

Tony and Lily had very likely stopped searching long ago and were possibly in a warm bar somewhere. Especially if Tony decided to 'run her memory'.

Run? Jog? Walk?

She shook her head in spite of herself.

Meanwhile, Jenny and Gibbs would be searching, but at a much more leisurely pace. Without needing to see them, Ziva knew they were holding hands and focusing more on their relationship than the hunt.

Which left her.

Mossad. Who would never give up on a challenge. And a bubbly Goth beside her who would follow her anywhere and not complain.

Unlike Tony, who whined about everything. Abby was just glad to be out of her lab and to have company. The snow was also keeping her excited.

Down one street, up another, constantly looking. Never relaxing, always on her guard.

Something caught her eye. One glance at the plates confirmed it.

"The car." She pointed it out to Abby who gave her a hug in celebration.

"What about the alcohol?" Abby asked, toddling to the vehicle in question and staring into the back seat.

Ziva stared through the frosted windows. "It looks as though it is all here."

_

* * *

_

A/N2: I have finally managed to find the end of this story. Thanks to everyone who encouraged/harrassed me. Off to send it to my beta now...


	9. Dec 30

Chapter 9: Dec 30

Lily checked her secret supply in one of the spare rooms. Everything looked in order. Perfect.

It was 0600, the sun had yet to even contemplate rising and nevertheless she already been out in the snow. Her guests and her children were fast asleep, even Gabriel for once. But she couldn't rest – her mind wouldn't shut down and she wasn't physically tired.

So she had gone for a very early morning walk, despite needing to take a flashlight and the snow slowing her down. She had headed for her favorite part of this place.

It was the reason she had decided to stay here, in spite of her concerns of renting such a huge place. It meant more supervision was needed for Gabriel, while she worried about Jasper, who most of the time could look after himself.

It was a beautiful, albeit small, lake at the back of the property. She was fairly sure none of her guests had located it yet and she had not breathed a word. In the summer, if she decided she could stay in one place for long enough, she planned to swim out there, to introduce Gabriel to water and let Jasper practice his swimming.

But right now, the little lake was frozen solid. More than enough to take her weight and hopefully a few others at the same time. She had ice skates, having picked up a box-worth for next to nothing. Searching for the right sizes had taken time, but she had enough for everyone and a few spare.

Her next job, after knocking most of the snow from her shoes, was to start making lunch. There was no point in making the trek if they couldn't enjoy their time outside. It wasn't freezing, but it wasn't exactly warm either.

She had more than enough time to get ready for everything. A cold lunch could be sorted first, then a warm breakfast around the time everyone was likely to start stirring.

Thinking back to the pattern of the last few days, she decided Ziva would be the first to rise, gladly taking a few sips of hot chocolate before setting off for her morning run. Some days Lily joined her, still fit mainly through her desire to fill her hours in a constructive manner, even though she now ran more at night.

LJ would be up next, hunting for coffee. She normally obliged, aware one cup would be for Jenny and the other for himself. If neither of them spoke, they tended to sip their caffeine in silence together, putting their feud on hold for a few precious minutes.

Jasper always came down at the same time, a habit drilled into him at boarding school where a late start meant no breakfast. He would be the first to eat, politely asking for something fairly healthy and clearing his plate. Lily smiled to herself, absurdly proud of her little boy. She would tell him the plan for the day and he would add his own opinion, which sometimes lead to her changing a few things. But he would enjoy ice skating; he had been quietly asking for the last few days.

Then it was a toss-up of Tony, McGee or Abby. Ziva seemed to relish the chance of a lie-in for the moment; Tony often took food up for her anyway. If the males were in the kitchen at the same time, she could guarantee a teasing conversation, the odd insult and a possible food fight. Abby loved to hold Gabriel and stay out of the way.

And finally her sister would appear, greeting her with a big hug and a smile. Coffee would be shared, they would gossip and gently tease LJ about something. Yesterday it had been his bed-head hair, all sticking up at the back, and the day before it had been his choice of aftershave.

Lily smiled to herself. It might take a while to get everyone ready and out, but she wouldn't miss it for the world.

* * *

Timothy McGee stared out across the lake. How had he missed _this_ on his walks?

It was small, but big enough for all of them to get on the ice at once if they so desired. Snow surrounded it, the surface only slightly covered in a dusting. By the looks of it, Lily had cleared most of the snow that morning.

He wished she had mentioned it; he would have gladly assisted her. Not that he didn't think she could manage on her own, but she was taking everything on and refused to allow anyone to help her. Shoveling the snow from the lake must have taken some energy.

He hoped it had tired her out enough to sleep for a while.

Beside him, Abby was bouncing up and down at the thought of going skating. He was more nervous – he hadn't done this in years and hoped the ice was thick enough. Everyone else seemed to think so, judging by the excitement building.

Glancing behind him, he smiled as Jenny and Gibbs set about getting the twins into their skates. Both of them were bundled up tight against the cold and would probably roll if they fell over. Lily was holding Gabriel in one hand and helping Jasper with the other, allowing her son to lean on her and sort himself out.

Lunch was concealed in several boxes, all tucked slightly away from the lake in case of an accident. Jenny had insisted on a first aid kit as well; Lily hadn't seemed fussed. Probably because she was used to dealing with injuries without any such kit to hand.

Abby thrust the skates in his hand and set out towards the ice.

"Don't go too far to the east!" Lily yelled immediately. "The ice isn't as solid there and I don't want anyone going through."

"How far is too far?" As usual, Ziva wanted the details.

Lily waved vaguely at a portion of the ice. "I managed to clear the snow, but I'm light and some of you aren't. And it was creaking as well. It's best just to avoid it."

McGee nodded, somehow managing to change shoes without stepping in the snow. His first steps onto the ice were timid, until Ziva grabbed his arm and forced him out further.

"I will catch you if you fall," she promised him.

Smiling his thanks at her and feeling more confident, he began to remember how to skate. Still cautious, he set about doing a few laps of the lake before joining in the game of tag Tony had arranged.

From the corner of his eye, he watched the children. Jasper definitely seemed to know what he was doing. Lily had joined him, Gabriel still in her arms, thankfully asleep for the moment, and they circled in a corner. Jenny and Gibbs were catching their own troublemakers as the redheaded twins kept falling over. McGee grinned as he realized he had been right – they did roll over.

Tag tired them out a little, Ziva coming out on top. She was a natural on the ice. Tony did not seem pleased at being bested by his partner yet again and settled for teasing McGee.

"Hey, McChicken," he yelled yet again.

McGee turned in time to see Tony skating on the very patch Lily had told them to avoid.

Ziva must have noticed him too. "Get back here," she demanded. "Now."

"Relax, my little ninja chick," Tony grinned. "It's perfectly safe. McGoo, why don't you come over here?"

McGee was torn between glaring at Tony and looking like a coward, or going out there, feeling like an idiot but appearing brave in Tony's eyes.

"Tony!" Ziva yelled, exasperated.

McGee made up his mind. The ice was clearly safe if Tony could stand on it. He took a step forward…

And Tony tripped over his own feet.

The now familiar sound of skating on the ice stopped as everyone held their breath. The ice seemed to hold.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs bellowed.

"Getting up, boss," Tony instantly replied.

He didn't have the chance to move before the ice collapsed underneath him.

* * *

Abby Scuito busied herself with another mug of hot chocolate. Tony needed to be kept warm and she was going to force hot liquid down his throat all night if need be.

Tony had definitely been shocked when the ice had collapsed, but Ziva had been the first to reach his side. Despite the danger of the ice collapsing further, she had half-pulled him out, assisted by Gibbs. Blankets had been produced out of nowhere and he had been frog-marched back to the house, Gibbs yelling at him the whole way.

They had been able to hear every word back at the lake.

Skating had continued for a little while longer, but no one's heart was in it anymore so they had headed back to the house. _El jefe _had forced Tony in front of a now massive fire in the living room. Ziva had made him change out of his wet clothes and Tony looked a little worse for wear.

Everyone had spent the day together. Lily stoked the fire, McGee had produced food, Gibbs had warmed Tony simply by his glare, Jenny had checked his temperature constantly, Ziva had forced him to move about to keep warm, while Abby had hugged him as much as possible.

Possibly a little too much as she was now in charge of hot drinks.

Overall, Tony looked as though he would be back to normal in no time. Abby smiled to herself; everyone was just a little overprotective of him.

And with good reason. Life without Tony was unthinkable.

She shuddered, in spite of the warmth. Cradling the steaming mug, she began to carry it through to the other room. Tony was going to be fine.


	10. Dec 31

Chapter 10: Dec 31

Jennifer Shepard was not surprised to find herself in the kitchen yet again. Her sister seemed to magically forget all the cooking disasters she'd ever had when she needed a hand with the food.

It was an old joke in the Shepard family that she couldn't cook one meal without almost burning the place down. She didn't think it was entirely fair, mainly because Lily had been going through an arson phase at the time and most of the small fires had nothing to do with her.

But the charge had stuck and she wasn't a good cook anyway. If someone else was happy to do the work, she wasn't going to complain.

Lily, on the other hand, was fully aware that she would offer to help if asked. And given all the sugary delights planned for New Years Eve, Jenny wasn't overly surprised by her sister's actions.

They hadn't had much time together, just the two of them. Children tended to appear out of nowhere and demand attention, and with other people around as well, getting alone time was tricky. But Abby had persuaded everyone to settle down for a festive showing of _Wolverine_ and Lily had all but dragged her out the door into the kitchen.

"I thought you wanted to watch the movie," Jenny mused, rolling out the dough. "Hot guy, shirtless most of the time…"

"I think it's best watched with ice cream and alcohol," Lily replied, not looking up from her cake making. "After a bad day to de-stress. And don't deny it."

"I wouldn't argue with that assessment," Jenny countered, confused.

Lily shook her head, sticking a finger into her cake mix and testing it.

"You are aware everyone has to eat that," Jenny warned. "Saliva and all."

"It's not like I'm putting my finger back in," Lily whined. "You want to see Hugh Jackman topless as well."

Jenny debated the pros and cons of arguing. "Point taken," she conceded.

Her sister set about spooning her mix into cases. "You ever get fed up watching kids programs?"

Jenny stifled a grin. Camilla and Rose loved to watch the same movie over and over again, until she could quote the script. And they wanted her to watch with them, regardless of however much work she had to handle. Jethro ran interference but she recognized the need to spend time with her angels.

Even if their halos were choking them.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen a new cartoon on the TV. It was always repeats, all of the time. At work, she had ZNN on all the time in the background. Going without her news fix was painful, but her children came first.

She vaguely wondered what Jasper watched. Judging by his intelligence, not much. Jenny was more likely to find her nephew with his nose in a book than in front of the TV.

"What exactly is in those fairy cakes?" She changed the subject before they ended up sounding like old women, gossiping about their children and moaning about how life was different for them 'in our day'.

"The usual." Lily opened the oven door, almost threw the trays inside and set about making another mix.

"And I'm guessing you don't want me to mention the jalapeños."

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs took the fairy cake gingerly. As though he expected it to be a miniature bomb, he examined it carefully.

Lily had made them; she'd been proudly announcing it since she and Jenny had bought out the goodies. And knowing her, she had to have done something to them.

Especially as both Jenny and Jasper had passed on the offer. They definitely knew something he didn't. And yet she was offering them to everyone else, so it wasn't a plot against just him.

Unless she'd poisoned this one in particular to get her revenge for the snake…

He eyed her carefully, already deciding to check his boat the moment he returned. He didn't put it past her to have used part of her missing two days to drive to DC and take her anger out on something of his.

Something precious.

It was an hour before the New Year began. Only Gabriel was asleep; Jasper had asked politely if he could stay up and Lily had immediately given him permission. Meanwhile, Camilla and Rose had 'somehow' found Lily's secret stash of chocolate biscuits and were on a sugar high.

If it wasn't for them all leaving for DC tomorrow, he would have forced Lily to reveal her stash. As it was, he felt allowing them to run about the room would slowly drive his nemesis up the wall. And he was trying to hint to his little girls that they could sleep in Aunt Lily's bed tonight.

Served her right. If she got them this excited, she should have to deal with the aftermath.

He stared suspiciously at the cake again. It was a slightly odd color but it didn't look as though it was going to kill him. Glancing over at Lily, he saw her put another one in her mouth and wave one under Jenny's nose. Probably not poisoned.

Giving it one final glare in the hope it would give up whatever secret it was hiding, Gibbs took a big bite.

And almost immediately began to splutter.

Somehow managing to swallow it, he threw the offending cake in the nearest trashcan and growled at Lily. She smiled innocently.

"I didn't burn them," she pointed out, opening her mouth and starting to eat a third cake.

"What _exactly _is in them?" he demanded.

"Margarine, sugar, eggs and flour," she recalled.

"Lil," Jenny prodded gently.

"And jalapeños," Lily added. "You don't like them?"

Gibbs wondered if he should mention the roof of his mouth was burning or find some water first. The kitchen became his priority for a moment and he left the living room and the horrendous cakes.

One glass of freezing cold water later and another one clutched in his hand, just in case, he headed back to the warm room. Jasper glanced up as he walked back in.

"Never eat a cake Mom gives you," he advised.

"I tell you what's in them!" she protested.

"Only after I ask," the boy shot back. "Did you make any chocolate ones?"

"Usual hiding place," she answered. "Don't give any to LJ."

He glowered at her. From the looks of things, Tony had also tried a cake by accident. Ziva seemed to be enjoying them, helping herself to more.

"It's an acquired taste," Lily grinned at him.

* * *

Tony DiNozzo was still feeling the aftereffects of the jalapeño cake, but several glasses of water later and after brushing his teeth, he felt almost human again.

He really couldn't understand why his Mossad chick was happily eating the offending items, but knew better than to say anything. After all, he was dating a person who admitted to eating maggots on at least one occasion. He wouldn't put it past her to give him a taste of them too.

New Year's Rockin' Eve was blaring from the TV and he smiled, settling back in the chair he was sharing with Ziva. It felt good to be celebrating the New Year with his 'family', all of them crammed into one room and just relaxing together. No work to worry about, no fear he was about to be called to deal with a dead body.

Just his family.

Gibbs, the father figure, simultaneously trying to glare at Lily while calming his twins down. Not very successfully, but hopefully he would get some sleep tonight.

Jenny, the mother. Always willing to listen and offer advice if asked. The only one capable of calming _el jefe_ down and frequently the one to rile him up. Normally very busy but willing to put time aside when needed.

McGee, the little brother. A geek, used to be teased and almost accepting it now. Kind and caring, yet tough, in a way, when he needed to be.

Abby, the favorite. Everyone would do anything for her without hesitation. Capable of being playful with Gibbs during work hours, able to joke with him and get a smile. The little sister who thrived on hugs and affection.

And then there was himself and Ziva. He didn't want to think of her as a sister – he wasn't a fan of incest. There was a bond between them, a bond he knew had been tested time and time again and was somehow still strong. He loved her teasing, her banter, her complete failure with idioms, the fact she could creep up behind him without warning…

The way she made him feel.

Himself, the older brother. Allowed by the law of older siblings to embarrass and annoy young Timothy, while protecting Abby – as much as a bubbly Goth needed protecting from the world, especially one who had an ex-marine wrapped around her little finger.

The countdown began on the television and everyone began to chant. He smiled to himself. He didn't want to be anywhere else but here.


	11. Jan 1

_A/N: Happy New Year everyone!_

Chapter 11: Jan 1

Ziva David refused to admit she was tired. It was an old habit from her Mossad days.

Even though she did not need to do so any longer. Still, she enjoyed the look on Tony's face when he couldn't understand how she looked so awake while he stumbled around and groaned.

It had not taken her long to pack, especially as she had brought very little with her. Tony, on the other hand, appeared to have packed for a month and she had been forced to sit on his suitcase while he attempted to make it close.

Why he could not simply pack less was unknown to her, but he seemed to think he needed everything with him. Ziva was too used to setting off at a moment's notice and required very little to keep her happy.

She continued to carry her bag down the stairs, listening to Tony's efforts behind her. At least she could carry her bag – he was thumping it down every step and making a noise capable of waking the dead. Or the twins.

They met up with everyone else outside, trying to fit the bags and presents into two cars. Ziva privately thought it would help if they borrowed Lily's car, but she also did not want to leave the redhead without a form of transport. Not with two children in the house as well.

"You going to move any time soon?" Tony asked.

She looked over her shoulder to reply to him but noticed he was directing his question at Lily.

"Probably," the redhead answered. "You know me, can't stay still for long."

Ziva agreed silently, recognizing how difficult it was to stay in one place for so long after spending years moving around. She stayed because of the people she had met; Lily did not have that.

"I'm sure we'll meet up again at some point," Tony smiled, engulfing Lily in a hug.

Ziva gave her lover the chance to pull away before hugging Lily herself. "Take care," she whispered.

* * *

Jennifer Shepard couldn't believe how long it took to get everyone sorted. Abby kept dashing back to her room, each time returning with something else. And McGee was finding it hard to locate some of his clothes after Tony had run off with them.

She was keeping out of the way for as long as possible, trying not to get caught up in the mayhem. Jethro had taken Camilla and Rose for a little walk in an attempt to tire them out before the car journey. Jenny had floated the idea of traveling back in the middle of the night so they would sleep through the whole thing, but she was tired and just wanted her own bed before she had to go to work tomorrow.

Lily was in her thoughts. They were going to leave her sister soon, abandon her to her own devices for however long again. Jenny was already making places to force her to DC for Easter under the guise of family time.

She paused in the doorway to the living room, unsurprised to hear Gabriel screaming the place down again. Nothing could calm the child down. Jasper was nowhere in sight, still celebrating after his mother had agreed to him keeping the snake as long as she never saw it again.

Tony, Ziva and Abby all stood around in a huddle, attempting to soothe Lily's son. They cooed and rocked him; Abby was singing something. Ziva placed kisses to his head. Yet nothing worked.

Jenny rolled her eyes, about to push off the doorframe and try to calm him herself. But a yell from the kitchen stopped her.

"Hey!"

It was Lily, clearly not moving but able to hear her son.

And Gabriel shut up.

Abby, Ziva and Tony stared at him in shock, while Jenny moved towards the kitchen, smiling softly to herself. Lily and her little family were going to be fine.


End file.
